


Atlas

by Rainbow_Foxes



Series: FemJay Weekend 2020 [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bad Parent Sheila Haywood, Blood and Injury, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Buried Alive, Female Jason Todd, Gen, I have Theories about Sheila Haywood this is only the tip of the iceburg, Major Character Injury, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbow_Foxes/pseuds/Rainbow_Foxes
Summary: Written for the Fem Jay Week 2020 Day 2 prompt: Never Died AUFaye has the weight of the world on her back. It all comes down to how long her shoulders can bear the burden.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Sheila Haywood & Jason Todd
Series: FemJay Weekend 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919755
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70
Collections: FemJay Week 2020





	Atlas

**Author's Note:**

> As I stated, this is written for the [Fem Jay Week](https://femjaytodd.tumblr.com/) event over on Tumblr. Go give it a look-see.
> 
> A note on naming: In Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #23, It's stated that Jason is named after his grandfather. in #25, it's revealed that Faye "Ma" Gunn is Jason's grandmother. It stands to reason that if Jason had been born AFAB, she'd have been named Faye after her grandmother.

As the rubble on her back settles, Faye idly wonders if this is what Atlas feels like. The world has been condensed to about a foot of space between her and her unconscious mother below her, and maybe three inches around them if she’s lucky. They’re in a messy little coffin of rock, metal and glass, really. The only thing standing between them and death is how long she can hold a push-up position with what feels like a ton’s worth of concrete and rebar pressing into her shoulders. 

Her personal best time for the plank position is 10 minutes.

She tries to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart but instead chokes on blood. Faye coughs, trying to clear her airway. The rubble above her shifts as droplets of dark blood splatter her mother’s face below her. A small rock hits the back of her head and she winces at the strike.

Her mother wakes up. Slowly at first, and then she’s blinking rapidly and breathing even faster.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” 

“The building exploded Ma. We’re trapped underneath.”

Ma starts hyperventilating then, sucking in air as if its’ going out of style. Which it might, especially if her mother doesn’t get her breathing under control. Faye has no idea how much air they have or how long they’ve already been down here.

“Ma, you need to calm down. Panicking is only going to make it worse.”

“I’m not— I’m not—” She can’t seem to get the words out.

“You _are_ panicking, it’s okay. Just breathe with me, okay?” Faye takes as big a breath as she can manage and then exhales it slowly. She coughs again, more blood flying past her lips, but she repeats the action.

“That's not —”

“It’ll help, just —”

_“I’m not your mother!”_

Silence. She wishes she could swallow past the blood and now tears in her throat.

“What?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“I’m not your mother,” ~~Ma~~ _Sheila_ repeats, “I lied.”

“Why would you _do_ that?”

“You came to me, claiming to be my kid by a man who can’t say otherwise, with _Bruce Wayne_ of all people as your father. It was easy pickings.”

Faye can’t stop the sob that escapes her. She bows her head as she cries. Her body shakes with it, sending rubble tumbling below her and onto Sheila, who tries to shield herself with her arms. Faye is coughing in between her sobs, blood bubbling up in her mouth and making it difficult to breathe.

Of course. _Of course_ it was a lie; it was too good to be true. She was so stupid, trusting Sheila at her word, not even asking for a blood test before latching on like a lost little duckling. Everyone wants something, and things are never as nice as they seem. She can’t believe a few years with Bruce made her forget that.

Sheila can’t even say that it was all an accident, that she didn’t _mean_ for Faye to get her. She knowingly sold Faye out to the Joker, watched him beat her and carve into her face while she chain smoked off to the side. She didn’t regret her actions until she was tied to a post and set for death alongside the girl she betrayed.

Faye wishes she could take a deep breath to calm herself, but it’s so hard to breathe now. Her head is dizzy, she knows its from the blood loss. Her arms and legs quake with the effort of supporting the weight of staving off death.

“Sheila,” she starts. It’s agony to talk, and she hopes that the woman can hear how much pain she caused, “My earrings have a beacon in them. Press the head of one of the birds. Batman will find us.”

Sheila swallows and shakily brings a hand up to Faye’s right ear. The right, because if she went for the left there’s a good chance she would have grazed the slashed in half smile that now lives on her left cheek. She presses the button and Faye takes comfort in the soft beeping that starts.

Her dad will find her.

He always does.

Sheila tries to speak to her, but Faye shuts her eyes and tunes her out. There is nothing the woman can say that she wants to hear. 

Instead she focuses on her body. She knows one of her lungs is punctured, the blood that dribbles up her throat is testament to that. Her nose burns from smoke inhalation; she’s missing teeth. Her fingers are _ruined_ , Joker having taken great joy in smashing them beneath his feet. One of her legs is broken — she can feel the bone pressing against the skin, ready to burst through under the unyielding pressure of the warehouse on top of her. Everything hurts, from her scalp from the Joker dragging her by her hair, down to the balls of her bare feet digging into glass and rubble to support her body.

The rubble shifts and groans above her, sending down another hail of debris. She can hear muffled yelling, but then it gets closer, gets clearer.

“Blue Jay? Can you hear me? Where are you?” It’s Dad. She would sob if it didn’t hurt so much to breathe.

“Here,” It’s only a whisper, she can’t manage much more. But she has to. If she wants to live, she has to.

“Here! Batman, I’m here!” She can barely get enough air to scream. Thankfully Sheila joins in.

“We’re here! We’re under here!”

“Hold on! I’m going to dig you out.” Faye bows her head in relief. Soon the weight will be lifted and her dad will pull her from the wreckage, and everything will be okay.

Rocks tumble around her as the load on her back lightens. A hole tears open above her and she can breath fresh air for the first time in who knows how long. It’s smokey and dusty but cold and _good_ going into her lungs. Afternoon light filters through, and Faye can see clearly now. She can see the dirt that her hands have been pressed into, and the fear in Sheila’s eyes.

Rescue means they live. It also means that Sheila will have to face the wrath of the Batman.

Finally, _finally,_ the large slabs are taken off of her back. Faye collapses forward, not able to hold herself up any longer. Sheila catches her, if only to prevent herself from being squashed by Faye’s body. Strong, familiar hands lift her up from behind. She’s pulled into a princess carry and cradled to a chest that smells of leather and kevlar.

“I’ve got you Jay-Lass, I’ve got you.”

She looks up at her dad and sees how red the exposed part of his face is. She knows he’s crying under the cowl.

“I’m okay. Got’chu here now.” She slurs out. Her eyes feel heavy but her head feels light. Dad presses a kiss to the top of her head.

“Everything is going to be okay.”

She lets her eyes slide shut.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment down below if you so chose. All feedback is A-okay in my book. Constructive criticism is as always welcome so long as we keep it polite.
> 
> I know this was supposed to be a never died au, but I really like this ending. In my version of events she survives, but if you think she dies that's perfectly valid.
> 
> I have. Many thoughts an opinions on Sheila Haywood. To sum them up bluntly: I am 100% of the belief that she lied to Jason about being his mother. If you'd like to hear more about that and my other tin foil hat comics theories, come check me out on [my Tumblr.](https://rainbowfoxes.tumblr.com/)


End file.
